The fire crackles, sending spirals of smoke into the night sky, but it isn't the comforting, familiar warmth of the cabin hearth.

The two of you are stuck on water duty after losing the game of Capture the Bone. The others laughed as they sent you both off with buckets, jeering about how you should've fought harder. Melissa rolled her eyes and muttered something under her breath about how stupid the game was in the first place.

Now, you trudge through the forest, buckets swinging at your sides. The cool air carries the scent of damp earth and thawing ice. The ground is soft beneath your feet, squelching with each step.

The lake comes into view as you round a bend in the trail, its surface a mirror to the fading sun. The golden light of the late afternoon dances on the water, the ripples catching the fading hues of the sky. You sit on a mossy rock near the stream, the cool stone pressing against your legs as you settle

"I swear," Melissa pants, setting her bucket down by the stream, "if I ever see another bone again, it'll be too soon."

You laugh, crouching to fill your bucket. The icy water stings your hands. "Yeah, well, next time maybe don't try to tackle me into the mud."

"It was a strategic move," she argues, grinning.

The two of you settle on a mossy rock by the stream. The forest hums with life around you, birds chattering, water gurgling. Melissa nudges your arm. "This isn't so bad, though. Just us."

"Yeah," you agree. "It's kinda nice."

Melissa kicks a small stone into the stream, watching it skip across the surface before sinking into the water. She seems lost in thought for a moment, and when she speaks again, her voice is softer, almost nostalgic.

"You know," she says, glancing at you with a faint, almost shy smile, "before everything happened... I used to look up to you, a lot. You were always so... ahead of me. You were a year older, faster, better at soccer." She shrugs, as if it’s no big deal, "I used to watch you play, you know, and think that maybe one day I could be like you.”